TITLE: A Cactus in the Desert
AUTHOR: Rev. Teresa Wairimu Kinyanjui & Anne Jackson
REVIEWER: Moses Wasamu
STOCKIST: Scripture Union Bookshops
COST: Ksh. 1,500.
A cover of the book, ‘A Cactus in the Desert’
A Cactus in the Desert is the 402-page autobiography of one of the most prolific women evangelists in Kenya, Reverend Teresa Wairimu Kinyanjui.
It is the story of her life, right from the time when she was a young girl up to the present time. It races her life story from the time she started her ministry to the present time.
The book is divided into 6 parts, each of which looks at a particular part of her life. The first part talks about her calling to serve God, the second and third parts look at her roots and her growing up in the outskirts of the city of Nairobi, just like any other young girl in rural Kenya.
Part four of the book dwells on her life while serving God in various parts of this country and beyond, while part five is made up by the testimonies of people who revealed their life miracles as a result of contact with the work of Rev. Teresa Wairimu.
It does not only look at her life from the spiritual point of view but it also looks at her involvement in social issues which affect the lives of Kenyans in their day to day life. This is what is found in part six of the book. It is headlined, ‘A Practical Gospel’.
The book here reveals that Rev. Teresa, like Jesus of Nazareth, also cares for the needs of the people she comes into contact with. This part reveals Rev. Teresa involved in social action, helping those who are in need, especially the poor and vulnerable.
With the recording of her life story, Reverend Teresa has done what many Church leaders in this country have no done. This is commendable because it is going to be part of the heritage of this nation, considering that her life has touched many people in this country.
One thing that is intriguing about the book is the fact that it not only reveals Rev. Teresa as the giant of faith that she is, but it also reveals her other side, her vulnerability just like many of us. Many women in our society can identify with what Rev. Teresa went through in her marriage. In the judgemental society that we live in today, many would consider Rev. Teresa a failure because of the fact that she ended up divorced from her husband.
The lesson that we learn from this part of her life is that we are all human, no matter how much God uses us. Therefore, the society needs not put pressure on those who are in the limelight because they too face the same challenges that we all face.
But her story is not a story of despair. It is a story of victory because at the end of it all, we see God lifting her up and using her like no other woman (or evangelist for that matter), in this part of the world.
Rev. Teresa received recognition for her work in peace building in the country in Kenya after the disputed presidential elections in Kenya in 2007 / 2008. She received the Martin Luther King Junior-Africa Foundation Peace Award in May 2008 for the role she played during the conflict period in Kenya.
Unlike many preachers in Kenya at that time, Rev. Teresa was not caught up in the partiality and taking of sides as seen in some other church leaders at that time. Her clarion call was for people to stop the violence and give peace a chance. She is seen in some of the pictures in the book visiting some of the victims of the violence in the displaced people’s camps. She ended up adopting a boy child from a tribe other than hers.
The book should provide a good read for those who have a desire for their faith in God to be stirred. The book is full of acts of faith towards God and also of great acts of God out of the faith the people showed Him.
The book does not give reasons why the evangelist ended up being kicked out of her marital home. This leaves questions lingering in the mind of the reader. Why did it happen? What was the cause of misunderstanding in her marriage?
The life of Rev. Teresa is also intertwined with that of another great world evangelist, Rev. Reinhard Bonnke, who considers as her spiritual father. The book mentions other renowned men of God locally whom Rev. Teresa acknowledges as having played a role in shaping her life and her ministry.
In the epilogue, the book also sheds light on why the writer settled on the title of the book. The cactus is a hardy plant that does not easily wither. The writer compares the cactus plant with her own life, that despite the challenges she faced she did not give up. She believed God who enabled her to overcome and stand up again to continue serving Him and bring a positive change in humanity.
The book is bound in soft cover and it is written in simple and straightforward language that can be easily understood by many readers.
Rev. Teresa is the Founder and President of Faith Evangelistic Ministry, which started in Kenya but has a presence in the UK and the USA.
Commentaires